


Pictureboy

by Ac1d_j4m



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Homoeroticism, Light Angst, Modeling, Platonic Cuddling, Recreational Drug Use, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29846763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ac1d_j4m/pseuds/Ac1d_j4m
Summary: Ponyboy interviewed for an art studio downtown simply to help pull his own weight. He didn't account for the long-term effects of befriending a group of stoner photographers.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic but I hope you enjoy!

The bustle of downtown Tulsa rattled Ponyboy's tired brain to attention. It was very easy for him to get lost in his head during repetitive long walks, especially now that he was so sleepy. Thankfully, fear of being bumped into the street by one of the many distracted buisness women was enough to keep him upright. 

The trouble started when a pipe burst in the DX and the whole bottom half of the convenience store suffered water damage. Soda later recounted that it'd take about two weeks to get fixed. That was two weeks ago. 

Darry said it was fine and that he'd have them covered but Pony knew it was taking a toll. Soon having less money but the same amount of hungry mouths would become a big issue— and he didn't even know how long it'd be until Soda could get paid again. 

All this in mind, Pony decided it was time he got a job. He was 17 now so surely somebody would hire him, right? He followed this logic all the way into the lobby of an apartment building that, according to the flyer he shoved into his pocket, was also a rentable studio. 

Ponyboy kicked his legs awkwardly and pulled out the crumpled paper, checking to make sure he was in the right spot. 

_'Attention all creative types. We are looking for managers, photographers, and artistically gifted young adults willing to intern for a photographic series. Please contact xxx-xxxx-xxxx for more information or show up to our in person venue on Tuesday Nov 3rd. The address is listed below._

_1372 W Scarlett Street._

_Aster Inc.'_

After seeing the flyer on a bulletin board in Waffle House, Pony knew he had to at least try to get an internship at this 'Aster Inc.' place. As embarrassing as it was, he was what most people considered artistically gifted— "sensitive," in the words of Steve— and this might be the only way he could keep that part of himself intact in a real job. 

"Hello?" 

Pony snapped his head up to look at the owner of the voice. A masuline woman of medium height with short black hair and a strong jawline looked at him with curiousity. She appeared to be from out of town, if her clothes and mid-west accent were anything to go by, and suddenly he felt underdressed in his mostly hand-me-down outfit. He stumbled to a stand and put his hand out to shake. 

"Yes, hi. Hi. I'm Ponyboy Curtis, here to interview for Aster Inc." He smiled nervously. 

The woman shook his hand and he knew she must have some sort of laborious job because her hands were tougher than his, which was saying something. 

"Good afternoon, ah, is Ponyboy the name you go by?" The woman asked. He nodded. 

"Pony works too." 

"Alright. Well, I'm Paige. Which job were you wanting to intern for?" She walked with him to a room that had a discreet flower logo stuck on with tape. 

"Uh.. artistically gifted young adult? Whichever role that was for." Pony said, trying to hear what was going on inside. Paige laughed and lead him into the studio, where big mood lights flooded the whole room and colored everything a deep purple. Three photographers fluttered around their huge fancy cameras and Pony watched in awe as they took pictures of the model in front of a moody cityscape backdrop. 

"That's more of a prerequisite than a job. Do you have any experience with photography?" 

Ponyboy had to force himself to look at her instead of the machinery. 

"No, ma'am." He fiddled with his zipper. Paige smiled knowingly and sat him down at a small table in a corner with a coffee maker. 

"Well Ponyboy. Our flyer was very vague. We wanted to get a wide variety of people working with us on this— that's why we're in Tulsa in the first place. Aster Inc. is from Wyoming, actually." Paige explained, brewing herself a cup. 

Ponyboy looked at her strange. 

"Respectfully, why Tulsa? There's not that many people here who value arts. To go from Wyoming to here..." He trailed off. 

"I think you're right about that, because you're the only kid to come to our inquiry." Paige stirred sugar and creme into her coffee. "But to me that means we're getting the special ones. Do you consider yourself special, Ponyboy?" 

He frowned. "I mean... Special isn't usually a compliment where I'm from. I might use the word different, maybe." 

"Different how?" 

Pony picked at the skin under his nails, embarrassed. He thought about how he'd lied and said he was going to a friend's house instead of saying he was going downtown. 

"If I were exactly like the main crowd here in Tulsa I wouldn't have even considered coming to this interview. Or if the main crowd was exactly like me, I wouldn'ta hid this interview from my older brothers." He laughed out the last part, checking to see if he'd offended Paige by admitting this, but she just nodded like she understood. 

"I see. We'll come back to that. What qualities do you think make you good in an artistic field?" 

"Hm.. I'm a pretty good artist. Visual I mean, like drawing and stuff. And writing. And I've got an eye for good looking things, more so than other boys my age, at least my friends think so." He mumbled the last part. 

"Interesting. Let's put that to the test. What do you think of this set up we've got?" Paige gestured to the purple lights and cityscape. 

Ponyboy, though surprised at being tested so soon, tilted his head around to get a better look at it and how the model looked in the environment. 

"Ma'am, I don't know anything about photography, but what you've got right now is real pretty." 

Paige studied the scrawny boy at her coffee table. 'Pretty, huh?' She quirked a brow and nodded. 

"Yes, it certainly is." 

Pony turned back to her. "I suppose that wasn't very smart-sounding of me." His face went slightly red. "When I said I know nothing about photography I meant it." Before he could back track further, Paige cut him off. 

"I'm gonna be frank, I like the way you carry yourself. I think you're the type of intern we're looking for and I think you'll be able to give a unique perspective." 

Pony's eyes lit up in excited shock. 

"You're kidding! Thanks a lot, I-" He stumbled out of his chair when Paige stood up and followed her to the two photographers working the big cameras. 

"Beck, Casey, this is Ponyboy. Ponyboy, this is Beck and Casey." Paige gestured to the figures now smiling at Pony instead of taking pictures. 

Beck was a tall, tired-looking man with straight black hair like Paige's and a warm-looking baggy outfit. Long fingers stopped hovering around his camera to wave at Pony. The girl, Casey, brushed honey blonde hair behind her ears and smiled shyly. She looked at Paige then back to him. 

"It's very nice to meet you Ponyboy. If you're going to be working with us, I hope we can get close. We're all like a family here," Casey said. 

"I feel the same. Jamie, get over here!" Beck called, and the model who they were photographing walked over to the group. The man was slightly shorter than Beck but still taller than both the girls and Ponyboy. He had caramel colored hair and matching brown eyes, his upper cheeks and nose adorned with freckles. When he went to shake Pony's hand, his arm flexed and he realized that he was quite muscular. 

"Hi there. I'm Jamie," He smiled, cocking his head. 

"Yeah, hi, I'm Pony." He said, hoping he didn't sound surprised. 

"Aw sweet, we've already got a nickname for you! Some people think they're not professional or something, but I think they're necessary for bonding." Jamie threw and arm around Beck's shoulders. 

"So, is he gonna be with me or them or you?" He asked Paige. She seemed to consider it, then looked at Pony. 

"What he means is, will you be a manager, photographer, or model. And I think I have an idea of his role, but we need to hash it out first. Wanna take a break so we can talk about our next project?" 

Beck nodded and ruffled Paige's hair on the way to the coffee table. Casey followed, bumping hips with Paige and giggling about it, while Jamie laughed and started chattering about something. 

"You coming?" Paige asked Pony, beckoning him with a smile. 

Pony realized he was being made out to be important enough within their group to help make this decision, and felt more special than he had in a long time. 

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, of course," he stammered, and fit himself into their conversation, eager to find out what his place here was going to be, but already sure he'd like it. 

. . . . . 

Walking up his porch, Ponyboy tried to wipe the goofy smile off his face. He had been at the studio talking to his new cowokers for a couple of hours at least. During that time, he'd been told that there was one job in particular he'd be great at. 

"Hey Pone!" Soda yelled as soon as he stepped inside their house, waving with the hand he wasn't using to swat at Steve and Twobit, who were trying to steal his food off his plate. 

"Hi Soda," Pony said, dropping his backpack by the door and sitting on the corner of the couch. Pushing Steve away with a triumphant laugh, Soda plopped down next to him. 

"Did you have fun at your friend's? Who was it again?" 

"Uh... y'know, just.. Jamie." He fished for fake names but came up empty as his mind was completely focused on his new profession. 

"Oh, alright. Also, you better move your backpack, god forbid Darry sees it and throws you both to the wolves." Soda said, then shot up and back to the kitchen table. "Hey, hey! I was only gone for a second, you scavengers!" 

Ponyboy dragged himself and his backpack upstairs to his room, leaving the sounds of playful yelling and dishes clanking beneath him. 

On his bed, he daydreamed about tomorrow afternoon, when he'd be posed and photographed alongside Jamie. 

_"Wait, sorry, a model?"_

_Paige nodded excitedly._

_"Yes!" She set down a paper with a bunch of words scribbled down._

_"This is our concept for what we want to capture in our next set. We wanted it to be impactful, and show something that other media doesn't. Of course, it also has to be visually interesting."_

_Paige moved her finger around the page, pointing out specific words like 'love' and 'risk.'_

_"If we shot you with Jamie for this, it would be.. monumental." Casey agreed and started mumbling to Beck about how they could do this practically._

_"I mean.. what would we be doing that's so interesting?" Pony asked, shifting his feet under the table nervously._

_The chatter stopped and they all looked at him, weirdly sizing him up._

_"Hmm.. Ponyboy.. have you ever been to Tropical Gardens?" Paige asked. He shook his head._

_"The Friends Lounge?" Beck tried. Still a no._

_"Saturn Room?" Jamie tried once more, and when Pony still looked confused, they all sighed._

_"I think I may have made a tactical error." Paige said. "How should I put this... Pony, what are your thoughts on homosexuals?"_

_"Oh." His face went bright red; the question was enough to communicate what their concept was. "I.." he brought his voice down to a whisper like he was saying something inappropriate. "I don't take any issue with them. If any of you are, y'know... I don't care."_

_".. I guess thats a start."_

Thinking about being a main part of something that everyone had described as so new and exciting made the goofy smile on Pony's face feel permanent. 

For now the most he could do to look inconspicuous was to go to bed and hope nobody questioned him.


	2. Chapter 2

Only one school day later, Pony was once again briskly walking to Scarlett Street. He was less spaced out this time though; too many butterflies in his stomach. When he left he told Two-bit that he was going to Jamie's again and could only pray that choice didn't bite him in the ass later. 

Yesterday he'd been worried about what to wear or how to do his hair, but Paige had assured him that the only thing he needed was to take a shower before he left. Pony self-consciously ran a hand through his greaseless hair as he arrived at the complex's door. 

He hadn't even knocked yet when it was swung open from the other side by Jamie, smiling with an excited but impatient look on his face. He had a deep red button-down on and white shorts that Pony had definitely seen on at least a couple Socs before. 

"Oh, hi Jamie." 

"Hello to you too, It's great to see you again, but I really want to hurry up to the shoot so move it!" He grinned, practically dragging Pony up the stairs and into the studio. 

Beck was standing in the same place he was last time, only with a different set of baggy clothes and in a beanie. Paige and Casey were at the coffee table, sipping from cute mugs and giggling to eachother, which seemed typical for them. 

"Don't overwhelm him you oaf!" Beck yelled, waving subtly at Pony before getting back to adjusting something on his and Paige's cameras. 

"I'm not! He's fine. Right?" Jamie looked at Pony, who nodded with wide, endeared eyes at his golden retriever-like behavior. "See, he loves me." Pony's scuffed him shoes on the floor, ears heating up. Had anyone older than him ever been _excited_ to do something with him before now? 

Paige shook her head at them but didn't look actually bothered. 

"Can it boys. We've got important buisness, today's Pony's first shoot–" Jamie whooped and patted him on the back. "–Yeah, yeah, and we've gotta get him dressed." 

Casey revealed a stack of clothes that had been sitting in her lap. There was a small white shirt, wine red satin pants, and a couple of bright red accessories. 

"These are for you. We're going pretty simple today, so don't worry, no promiscuity or anything like that." She explained, and Pony fought down a blush. _'I forgot I'll eventually have to do stuff like that.'_ "There's a diner a few states up that wants one of those cute posters to hang as interior, but they want it with boys. That's where you come in." 

"Ah.. okay." Pony said, trying to sound casual and not nervous. He picked up his outfit and looked around for an extra room, or even a curtain– there were none. 

"You looking for a place to change?" Jamie asked. When Pony nodded, he seemed apologetic. "Sorry, there are none. There's a communal storage room downstairs but it doesn't lock. We usually just change in front of eachother." 

Pony frowned, looking at Casey and Paige. He'd never undressed in front of girls, women, before. To his surprise, they both seemed unbothered, if not amused. 

"You don't have to worry about us. Hell, if it makes you feel better, we'll look away. The boys can too." Paige comforted, and the others agreed, all four turning around or covering their eyes to prove it. 

"I was 17 once. I know you're probably feeling shy, so don't even worry." Jamie said. 

"Please, that was only two years ago," Beck chuckled, and they continued going back and forth but Pony tuned them out to weigh his options. 

He hesitated before sighing out his nose and pulling his shirt off, slipping into the one they gave him and smiling at the way it fit. Knowing Northerners, this outfit was probably high fashion, but the shirt, albeit higher quality, was still tight like the ones he'd seen his gang wear. Pony hobbled out of his jeans and into the satin straight-leg, kicking his legs around to get used to the flowy fabric. 

"Y'all can look now," he said, and they all turned to inspect his new clothes. Casey's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. 

"I knew it'd look amazing!" She smiled, Paige nodding in approval almost exactly like Beck and if Pony didn't know for sure if they were siblings before, he definitely did now. 

Jamie pushed him lightly with his usual grin. 

"Now we match!" 

Casey picked up two heart shaped ruby studs from the pile of accessories. "These will make your eyes really pop," she said, then paused and looked between Pony and the earrings, narrowing her eyes. 

"Are your ears pierced?" 

Pony shook his head and Beck smiled wryly. 

"They're about to be." 

. . . . . 

It only took 15 minutes for them to collect all the appropriate tools for piercing. Pony sat on the coffee table, fidgeting with wide, nervous eyes. Jamie sat in the chair in front of him with a lighter and sewing needle in his hands, discussing the process with Beck, Paige, and Casey, who held cotton balls, a bag of ice, and the earrings, respectively. 

"..Alright, yep, we're all good. Pony, you sure you're okay with this? You look like you might pass out." Beck asked, smiling teasingly. 

"Yeah. I'm good." He croaked. 

"Okay. Focus on something and stay focused. It's not gonna hurt that much, probably just a pinch, but it helps to be distracted." 

Pony nodded and took a deep breath, eyes flitting around for a suitable distraction when they landed on one of the darker freckles on Jamie's cheekbones. Out of his peripherals he saw Jamie putting the needle into the flame of the lighter, holding it there for about two minutes before he stopped and waved it around, trying to cool it off. 

Paige took an ice cube from the bag and placed it on his earlobe, and pretty soon it was numb. Then she moved away and Beck put a cotton ball behind his ear and suddenly the needle was being pushed in. Pony stared hard at the one particular freckle and in no time at all the needle was gone. Beck patted his ear with a cotton ball, wiping off the oncoming drops of blood. 

Finally, Casey took his spot and put in the little heart, securing it with a mechanism Pony wasn't sure he understood, but it must have worked because then they were all smiling at him and backing away to see how it looked. 

"How d'you feel?" Jamie asked. 

"...Fine. It didn't hurt like I thought it would." Pony's fingers hovered around it but he knew better than to poke at it. 

"Great! Because we still have to do the other one," Paige laughed. Pony sighed but he was unable to fight his smile. 

During the second piercing, Pony had loosened up enough to joke with them instead of staring at Jamie the whole time. It still hurt but they assured him it'd only be sore for a little while, and looking at their ears– all of them with at least one piercing– he believed them. 

In the end, the bright red studs looked great in his ears, and they did bring out his eyes. 

"Now that that's dealt with," Paige started as Casey and Beck got back to their cameras, "It's time to pose you." 

Pony followed Jamie to a creme-colored backdrop. 

"Alright, just lean– a little to the right– yeah, still standing. And try to look sorta neutral." Paige directed, pointing at them periodically while talking. Jamie helped him pose, joking here and there but mainly he'd toned down the laughter. 

Pony hoped he didnt took too stiff as he half leaned against Jamie, and he learned that trying to look neutral was easier said than done, but after getting situated, Beck and Casey were snapping pictures like crazy. 

The constant flashing was a little overwhelming for the first couple of minutes but Jamie nudged Pony when he felt him tensing up and smiled, smaller than he'd seen him smile before. It felt different, and it conveyed genuineness and comfort rather than just goofiness. 

He did not say anything, but Pony understood all the same. He returned the sentiment. Paige changed their poses a couple times, having them squat casually, kick a leg out like they were walking, and caught them mid-roughhousing for authenticity. At some point, the boys were shooed to the side so Beck could change the creme background to one that looked like shower tile. 

Paige went over to the mini fridge by the coffee table and came back with two cherries. Pony quirked an eyebrow. 

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." 

At this Paige guffawed loudly. "You're a riot, kid, but these are for the photos." Pony smiled with embarrassment, letting out a small "oh." 

"We're gonna do some close ups now, okay? These aren't for the diner." 

Glancing over to Jamie, he saw that his big goofy grin had returned, this time with the added bonus of knowing that it still had the encouragement of the smaller one. Pony looked back at Paige and nodded. 

Pony found himself on a stool with his head tilting slightly back, one of the cherries between his teeth. 

"Bite," Beck instructed after a couple minutes in that pose. Pony did as told, feeling the cherry juice drip down his chin, the scent sweet and strong. He stayed like that for while, letting it flow freely until it got too sticky, then stuck his tongue out with the punctured cherry on it, glancing straight into one of the cameras. 

Beck's eyes widened as he peered over at Casey, who huffed out an amused laugh, and Beck shrugged before continuing to snap pictures. They could tell his enthusiasm towards maturity was increasing the longer the shoot went on, so they'd have to stop soon before he got too caught up in that freedom. 

An hour and some change after they'd pierced his ears, Pony's first photoshoot was complete. Beck and Casey wouldn't let him look through the images, saying they wanted them to be a surprise after they got printed, but Jamie shook him around to rally his spirits. 

"That was amazing! I'm proud of you man, I think we're gonna work well together," Jamie cheered, bopping him on the head, and Pony knew by now that playfully aggressive physical contact was his favorite way to show happiness. 

"For sure, you did great. You have a lot of potential." Beck patted him on the back, pride dancing in his tired eyes. "What time is it?" 

"Quarter till 5." Paige answered, packing up with Casey. 

"Perfect. I think it's time for a celebration."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Preview of next chapter: 
> 
> "You guys celebrate by smoking? I'm lucky to not spend 80% of my day with a cancer stick." 
> 
> Paige laughed, sending Beck a look. 
> 
> "We're not talking about cigarettes, Pony."


	3. Chapter 3

Walking out of the complex and onto the sidewalk, Paige lead the way to the parking lot a block down where her and Jamie's cars were stationed. 

"So, everybody down to meet at ours for a smoke?" Beck asked, leaning on the car that Pony guessed he shared with his sister. He looked at him incredulously. 

"You guys celebrate by smoking? I'm lucky to not spend 80% of my day with a cancer stick." He said, looking between the other four, watching with confusion as they all seemed amused. 

Paige laughed, sending Beck a loaded look. 

"We're not talking about cigarettes, Pony." 

"Huh...? What else can you..." realization washed across his face. "Oh." Jamie and Casey started giggling hard, ruffling his hair. 

"That was cute. I didn't even consider that you didn't get it!" Casey cooed. "But yeah. We all smoke– pot, not cigs– pretty regularly, and always after a good shoot. Or a bad one, for that matter." 

"You're welcome to come, it's no big deal, but it's completely up to you. I'll drive you home if you're not sure," Jamie said, starting his car. 

Pony considered it. He was still on the adrenaline kick from his new job and its flashing lights, and cooling down a little before he got home wouldn't hurt... 

Of course, if anyone he knew found out about it, he'd be highly susceptible to getting his ass whooped by the gang. But they were always telling him to get out more anyways, so maybe this was just following their instructions. 

On the other hand, did Pony really give a shit what they wanted him to do? Lately it seemed all anyone could do was push what they wanted onto him. Doing something of his own accord would make them let up. 

"Yeah, that sounds fun." He smiled. Paige and Beck looked surprised but returned his excitement. 

"Alright then, we'll meet you guys there." With that, Paige and Casey took the front seats of their Dodge while Beck lounged in the back pretending he was being chauffeured, and Pony and Jamie hopped in his Chevrolet Malibu. 

"You're gonna be the DJ, yeah?" Jamie grinned over at Pony, who nodded maybe more than necessary and turned on the radio. Initially it was static, but he kept turning the dial until he reached some song with grungy guitar and Jamie batted his hand off the radio immediately. 

Pony was about to ask what it was when the singer howled, and Jamie did along with it. At Pony's bewildered look, he smiled. 

"It's Hang Up by The Wailers. I like you kid, but if you skip this I'm kicking you out of the car," he said, then went right back to singing, if not screaming, the indecipherable lyrics. Pony laughed at him but tapped on the dashboard with him. Hard punk wasn't always his cup of tea, but this wasn't so bad. 

Jamie drove fast and took turns with careless joy, and though he seemed distracted, it was also clear that he really liked driving. Singing loudly to Johnny B. Goode, he took one of his hands off the steering wheel to grab one of Pony's. He balled it into a fist and used it as a microphone while he sang. 

Pony laughed and went with it, letting Jamie drag his hand around while he sped out of the downtown area. The sky was orange and the clouds a warm grey, the November air comfortable enough that they had both windows down. 

Once the rock had died down and the radio switched to sappy love songs, Jamie let go of his hand, thinking it would be awkward to continue singing into his hand during a song like April Love. 

"So you've never gotten stoned before?" Jamie asked to fill the silence during the last minute of their trip. Pony bit the inside of his mouth. 

"No, and no other drugs either. Is that gonna make this difficult?" 

Jamie shrugged. "We'll see. It's different for everybody but.." he looked him up and down. "..you have a real hippie vibe, I think you'll be just fine." For some reason, Pony preened with pride. 

"Aw, thanks." He smiled and subtly puffed out his chest. At that moment, they pulled into the street in front of Paige and Beck's little townhouse. 

Walking up to teal door, Jamie didn't knock before he entered and showed Pony in. From the doorway he saw the living room, then further back, a kitchen and a final hallway. Jamie lead him with an arm around his shoulder onto a well-loved grey couch, plopping down in the middle of it. 

"We're here!" He called, seeming to sink into the couch and Pony's side, clearly quick to relax. 

"We know!" Beck yelled back, coming out of the kitchen with something tan, larger than a cigarette, and sitting in the floor. 

"Is that a joint?" Pony asked, wincing at the clunky way it came out, like an 11 year old saying curse words for the first time. 

"Blunt." Beck corrected, pulling out his lighter as Paige and Casey came out from the hallway, now dressed in more casual clothes; they noticeably definitely weren't wearing bras anymore, and Pony felt his face heat up. 

"Never seen a boob before kid?" Paige teased, punching his shoulder as he smiled sheepishly. 

"Sorry, I only grew up with a bunch of boys.." he admitted, looking her in the eye and ignoring everything else. 

"I'm just teasing, don't be nervous." She smiled, and her eyes flitted to his own chest, his doing the same, trying to find what she was looking for. He glanced at her chest again, this time not looking away. They studied eachother, Pony feeling some sort of odd knowledge flood him. 

Paige looked back up, and he did the same. "We are just hearts, Ponyboy." She says, and he nods, understanding. Then she sat in the floor next to Beck like nothing had happened. 

Casey layed horizontal with her head in Paige's lap. By the time Pony's attention made its way back to Beck, he was already passing the blunt to the girls in the floor next to him. Paige took her hit before passing it to Casey, who took her turn and then it was in Jamie's hand. 

"Watch closely, okay? I'm gonna breathe it deep like a cigarette, hold for just a bit, then breathe it out." He said, then followed his own instructions (albeit with practiced ease), and blew the smoke out with a smile. 

"See? Not hard at all." 

Pony nodded, concentration in his eyes. He carefully grabbed the blunt, reminding himself that it was a lot easier than he was making it out to be in his head. He inhaled. _Just like a cigarette._ He held it in his lungs, then let it out– except it came out a cough near the end, then a laugh. 

The others laughed too, not cruel, merely entertained. 

"Not bad for your first time. I imagine being a walking chimney helps." Beck smirked. 

"Yeah, maybe. That wasn't so bad at all." Pony grinned, passing it to Beck. They went on like this for a little while, though between the five of them it was gone pretty fast. During that time none of them said much; there was an unspoken feeling of importance tied to this moment that hung over the older four in regards to Pony, who took their silence to mean it was good etiquette not to talk until the blunt was finished. 

"So.. how do you feel?" Jamie asked. They'd essentially melted into eachother at that point. Pony slowly moved his limbs– at least, it felt slow. It was hard to tell what was his mind and was tangible, but he could still feel a low thumping throughout his whole body. 

"I feel like a heart." 

Paige smiled to herself. It had been two days and already she knew didn't want to part with this kid. She knew the others were thinking the same. 

"Your throat, stomach, eyes?" Jamie tried again with a fond overlay to his voice. "Not having a bad trip?" 

"No, all good," he curled up even more to Jamie, who lazily reciprocated. "I feel great in a nothing sort of way. Feels great to feel nothing." 

Jamie nodded, murmuring a 'good.' He rested his head on Pony's. "So what do you guys wanna do?" 

"Well, me 'n Beck are gonna sketch some outfits I think. Pony, you want any paper?" Casey said, voice calm as Paige played with her hair. 

"Ah, yeah. Thanks," he said, sitting up and taking some deep breaths to focus himself. He turned to Jamie. "You're really warm." 

"Thanks. I've been told... well... I can't think of the words, but I've been told something like that before." He giggled. 

Casey came back with a stack of colored and white paper and some fancy looking pencils. She sat a piece of white paper and a red pencil on Pony's lap and layed the rest in the floor. 

"You look like an artist," she explained, and he nodded very seriously. 

"My gang says that too. I don't know what that means to me, though." He went to write the date on the back of the page but nothing came to mind, so he shrugged and jotted down 'tonight.' 

"What do you mean when you say gang? Is it like a _gang_ gang, with hierarchy and guns and crime, or do you just use old fashion talk, and it means friends?" Beck asked, sketching a loose human body on his blue piece of paper. The others all murmured their agreement to his confusion. 

"Well now that you mention it, we do have hierarchy and guns and crime." Pony smiled mischievously. "But that's just what a low class group looks like. My gang is my brothers and my friends, but not all of them, just the ones that are in the gang... does that make sense?" 

"Yeah, I think." Paige nodded, having gone back to running her hands through Casey's hair. "Are we a gang, then?" 

"Hm. Maybe. I don't know if you'd have to fight for it to count as a gang. But you're fun anyways." 

"Thanks man. Anyways, what record you guys want on for tonight?" Jamie pulled out a crate of them from a small shelf under the record player. "The Angels sound okay?" 

"The who?" Pony asked. 

"They're Aussie, you'll love em." He put on one of their records and Paige snorted in the floor. 

"You're so weird." 

"Fuck off!" Jamie laughed hard, messing up her hair and plopping down next to Pony again. 

Jamie huffed before putting his pointer and middle fingers on the wrist of the hand that Pony wasn't using to draw. He put down his pencil and looked at Jamie blanky, too high to question him. 

Jamie moved to sit crisscross and he followed, knees touching as they silently looked at eachother with his fingers on his wrist. Jamie then outstretched his arm, and Pony understood to his best ability, taking two of his fingers and placing them on his wrist. 

Nothing happened until they pushed down a little and then they could feel eachother's heartbeats. Pony focused on the thumping so hard that the rest of the room was invisible to him. Jamie only nodded, as if thinking, 'yes, yes, that makes sense.' Before pulling away. 

"It sounds better together." Was the only thing he said that resembled an explanation, so Pony nodded in agreement and picked his pencil back up. 

Every couple of minutes, somebody would get up, disappear into the kitchen, and bring back various snacks and drinks, which was good for their insatiable hunger. They went through bags upon bags of chips and two cartons of ice cream. 

Pony was sketching with tired but precise hands, and between snack breaks and long conversations about everything they could think of, loose red circles turned into a dripping red cherry. Sharp teeth found themselves biting into the fruit, connected to a mean, handsome face with detailed shading in disinterested eyes. 

Just as he was finishing up, Jamie tilted his head to look over his shoulder. "Who's he?" 

"He's Dallas." Pony said, signing it and calling it done. Jamie marvelled at how detailed the drawing was; it was as if it were a picture taken from the photoshoot earlier. 

"You draw Dallas a lot?" Paige had leaned back against his knees to see, Beck glancing over as well. The lines looked familiar and rehearsed. 

"Yeah." His face turned pink, and Paige threw the boys a knowing smirk. 

"He a part of your gang?" Beck asked, immediately regretting it when he saw the wistful look on his face. 

"Kinda. The, the cops got him a couple years back." His tone of voice told them he didn't mean arrested when he said 'got him.' "But he's always gonna be here." He blinked hard. 

"Oh." Jamie said, mentally slapping himself for such a dumb reaction. "I'm sorry you had to see him go. He looks like a cool guy." 

Pony chuckled. "I'm sorry I had to see it too. He was pretty damn cool." 

He didn't know why he was telling these near strangers about how he watched Dallas get mowed down, about how he died gargling out _his_ name. He didn't know how, either, because it had been a struggle to do more than say either of their names until this point. 

Then Pony remembered the weed and it made sense. Gratitude washed over him, the relief of talking, even vaguely, about his experience. He wiped the longing off his face and gave a genuine smile. 

"It's okay, though. He's alive and mean as ever in my sketchbooks." 

The others looked relieved that Pony wasn't upset anymore, though their hearts ached for him. Casey snored softly with her face in her shockingly legible notes and sketches, everyone else looking down at the noise. 

"I think she's got the right idea, it's almost 12 and we all have work tomorrow– I'm guessing you have school." Beck said, checking the dinky clock above the record player. 

_'12 am. 12 am.'_ Pony thought leisurely. _'Yeah, that sounds like a good time to be get home.'_

"Yeah, I do." He stood up, shaking his limbs awake and cracking his neck. He almost walked out the door before Paige dragged him backwards with a cackle. 

"Pony, you're not walking home," she said. "Jamie'll take you, he has to go to his house anyways." Pony caught the letterman jacket that was thrown at him and shrugged it on, giggling when it was majorly oversized. 

"See ya later," He said, waving at Paige and Beck as Jamie walked him back to his car. "Hey, should you even be driving?" He asked as they started down the road. Jamie laughed. 

"No, but it's never stopped me before. Don't think about it too much." 

"Boy, have I heard that before." Pony laughs back, getting comfortable in the passenger seat and closing his eyes to the sound of Jamie lowly singing whatever rock music he'd put on the radio.


End file.
